Home
by julesgriffith
Summary: An angsty, romantic story centering around Nick and Phyllis after they find out who they father is. Will they ever find their way home?
1. Chapter 1

**Home  
By Jules**

**Author's Note and Summary:** This little angsty story takes place after they find out who the daddy is. I've written alot of fanfic before--mostly for GH and Dr. Quinn (I know, random two things to write for, right?) One thing you also should know--I flove angst. Feedback is always appreciated.

This is rated...**PGish**... I suppose. 

_Part 1_

She felt numb. As they padded down the empty hallway together, all she could picture were shattered glass slippers and oversized pumpkins awaiting them in the real world. His shoulder brushed hers, and the side of his hand caressed hers, but she didn't dare reach for it. She had her baby to the think of, and if she took his hand again, she knew she wouldn't let go of it. 

They pushed on the heavy hospital doors, and the night air hit them both like a fierce slap in the face. He was supposed to be at a conference in Chicago; another lie. Sometimes he didn't know what the truth was anymore, except when he was with her, but now…. Even their solid dream world was gone.

She walked ahead of him, and he watched her, waiting. And then he saw it. He knew it, just as the thunder crackled above them—her face dropped into her hands, as she hid everything she was feeling in a single moment. He reached for her hand, but she stepped back before he could touch her. 

Phyllis shook her head resolutely, "Go home, Nick."

Her words were cold, not matching the rimmed sadness of her eyes. "But I said—"

She closed her eyes, wishing she didn't care. Didn't want. Didn't need. "Just go home."

The rain began to fall, to cut between them. This was right, this was final. He should be relieved. Happy. He could go back to his real life. He could leave her without any regrets. But she wouldn't look at him, and goodbye wouldn't come. He had to know. He had to touch her. "You believed me, right?"

His words cut hard through her. She couldn't do this. She couldn't play games anymore with him. "What does it matter? We were never—"

"But we're here. I'm here."

Did he even know what he was saying? They were too much alike sometimes—they didn't think. They just did. She pushed on his chest. She couldn't do this again. Not unless… Unless what? What did she expect? "And you should go home."

He knew she was right. But what they had… What they had—it had a name. It had a place. They couldn't erase it. "Home. What should I call this?"

Phyllis looked down dejectedly. Second choice. She knew exactly what she was. The sky broke down on them, and she welcomed the rain with pained laughter. "A pit stop. A diversion. My God, we don't even have a roof, Nick!"

"I can't just leave you here!" He lifted his voice over the rain, shocking them both.

Phyllis stepped back. She had to get away from this, away from him. She couldn't pretend anymore. "This isn't your problem anymore. You have a family, Nick, and we're not a part of it—"

"Yes you are! I'm not going to lose you!" His eyes pierced through hers as he took her shoulders in his hands, and for a moment, she fell into the darkest night.

"I was never yours to lose—" She protested, but her body, even the life inside of her, cried out as his lips crashed down upon hers, and she was back again in their spiraling dream, falling as their mouths melted and tongues danced deceptively, and for a moment, she was home.

He broke away and whispered, "You know I love you."

"But not enough." She opened her eyes, finding his clearly above hers. The rain didn't matter. "I'm right, aren't I? To give up everything you've loved for the past eleven years? And Noah. I know you. In the end, it's too much to lose."

A moment passed, but it was too much. Hesitation was too much. She smiled sadly, stopping him before he could speak. "Please. You don't have to say anything. We're going to be fine. Do it for me. Please. Go home, Nick."

He nodded almost unconsciously. That was enough for her. She had to get away.

And he stood there in the rain, watching her disappear in the darkness. But he couldn't move. They weren't his family. So why did he feel like he lost his home?


	2. Chapter 2

_Part Two_

Sharon stared into the empty fireplace. What was she going to tell him? She had a day. A day to decide what to say. She didn't have to say everything, after all. It was plausible.

Just not the truth.

Their marriage had become nothing but half-truths and forced smiles. But she would do it. For Noah.

All of a sudden, the door flung open, and he was standing there, drowning in air. She stood up, her thoughts flying to the floor along with a small unnoticed box. "Nick! Oh my God… What happened to you? I thought you were in—"

"Phyllis is pregnant," Nick said without any preamble.

"…what?"

Rain fell down his face. He couldn't see Sharon clearly, but he could still hear Phyllis' words, go home… go home… go home… "Phyllis is pregnant. We took a test—a D.N.A. test. It's not mine."

Sharon's heart raced, fear and relief plaguing her all at once. "Who's—"

Nick stumbled inside, his thoughts unfocused as he repeated words that still didn't seem real. "It's Jack's. It's not mine. It's Jack's."

He walked towards his wife, but she didn't move. She didn't breath. He waited. They had both been waiting for this, this breaking point, but now that it was here, what was there to say? Had it been a game after all?

But then he heard it. Sharon sighed. He almost hated her in that moment for having what he could never have. Relief.

He couldn't deny one more sting. Anything to deny what he was really feeling. His eyes traveled up her wide eyed figure, and he smiled sardonically. "Happy?"

"Nick," She recoiled.

"I'm sorry," Nick backed down, hiding his eyes from her.

"No you're not." Sharon realized. She watched his teeth move over his lip. Her nausea was returning. "But you're upset, aren't you?"

His silence echoed throughout the room. Nick got up and walked towards the fireplace.

Sharon followed him. "How long have you known?"

"Ever since New Mexico."

Sharon closed her eyes. She forced her tears back. Everything made sense now. His moods. His hesitation to have another baby. "Does Jack?"

He shook his head. "We decided to wait—"

Her voice turned to ice. "We."

Nick lifted a picture of Cassie off of the mantle. "I couldn't abandon her."

Sharon watched him, but turned away immediately as the images filled her head of another little girl throwing her arms around his neck. Not Cassie. Not hers. "I see. So now you know. The baby isn't yours. Is this finally over?"

"Mom! Dad!" The front door flew open as a little boy buzzed threw the living room.

"Hey dude…" Nick nearly jumped, unaware that he was shivering.

"Noah! You're covered in mud!" Sharon pushed past Nick and stopped Noah before he could spread a trail of dirt behind him.

"Oh, it's my fault, Sharon," Daniel stood politely in the doorway, although he was in the same predicament as his young friend.

"What happened, Daniel?" Sharon went to closet and pulled out two towels.

"There was this HUGE mud pit outside the gym!" Noah told excitedly.

"I see that," Sharon lifted the muddy shirt over his head.

"And Daniel fell right in!" Noah's muffled voice called out from his shirt.

"I guess when it comes to mud and rain, I'm not that great of a role model." Daniel said sheepishly as mud chunks fell from Noah's back unto the floor.

"We had a mud fight, mom!" Noah squealed proudly.

"Charming."

"We had so much fun!"

"I'm sure you did, but I think your uniform's ruined, Noah," Sharon grimaced and eyed Daniel warily.

Daniel offered, "It's nothing a little Clorox won't fix."

"Maybe." Sharon balled the muddy shirt up in her hands and locked eyes with Daniel. "Sometimes these things are permanent, Daniel."

Daniel stepped out of the doorframe. "Sorry, Sharon."

Nick, finally breaking from his haze, stepped up. "It's ok, Daniel. Don't worry about it."

Daniel nodded, finally sensing the strange vibe in the room. Then he got it. His mom. What had happened now? Wasn't that all over? "Um…Thanks…N—"

Suddenly his cell phone rang, and he gratefully picked it up. "Excuse me…Mom?" He turned his back and lowered his voice quickly. "Yeah, It's not a good time…What? Well, if it's really important. Ok… Yeah. I'll be there. Well, I gotta go. That was—"

"We heard." Sharon said dryly, a crisp smile on her face as she set Noah's dirty shoes outside.

"O-K." Daniel smiled and lowered himself to the towel-clad boy. "So I'll see ya later, Noah?"

"Definitely. When can we do it again?"

Daniel looked over his shoulder and winked at Noah. "Maybe you should ask your mom about that. I'll see ya."

"Hey Daniel," Nick stopped the young man as he made his way out the door.

"Yeah Nick?"

Nick glanced towards his wife out the door and his son running up the stairs. "Is she ok?"

"She's fine. I'll worry about her. You take care of them."

- - - - - - - - -

Phyllis stood outside of the door. She couldn't bring herself to ring the doorbell. Until this very moment, she had never truly admitted to herself how much she had wanted Nicholas to be the father.

But she couldn't live a lie. She couldn't ask him to either.

They had lied. The test didn't. Jack was the father.

Jack paced the living room. Would she call first? No, that wasn't her style. She would just show up, announce it. Tears, probably.

After the hell he had put her through in the last couple of months, she was probably terrified of him. But that would only last a little while. Just enough to keep the illusion up. To further the game she had started. Without him.

And nobody played without Jack Abbott. He wouldn't be the fool this time.

The roles had been recast. And she was coming home.


	3. Chapter 3

_Part 3_

Suddenly, the phone rang, breaking Jack away from his musings. "Neil, so good to hear from you. How did it go?"

Neil grimaced and for a moment, wishing he had a phone cord to knot around his fists. "It's done, Jack. You can save the sweet talk for Phyllis. I'm sure she'll be there soon enough bearing you glad tidings of great joy."

Jack's eyes nearly twinkled. "Stupendous. I really don't know how I'll ever repay you."

"We agreed, Jack."

Jack smiled broadly. "You're right. And I won't go back on that. I've always had a fondness for Drusilla. I liked Carmen as well. I guess you saw the same thing I did."

"Jack."

Jack spun around as he heard her voice echo throughout the living room. "Well, speak of the devil."

"She's there?" Neil asked, suddenly aware of what was about to happen.

Jack's voice altered slightly, "We'll talk later. Very good work, I must say. Very good work."

Jack threw down the cordless phone and finally took a real look at her. She was drenched. Had she been crying? He wouldn't feel bad for this. "Lose your favorite doll, Red?"

She stepped into the room, ignoring his comment. "I'm not in the mood, Jack."

"What can I do for you?" Jack went to the bar. Water and red wine. "Some wine for your nerves?"

She waved her hand no, still unfocused on him. "We have to talk."

Jack turned around, pouring himself a large glass of wine. "About?"

Phyllis looked up, searching for… what? A connection? A memory? What? "Remember…"

Jack scoffed and deftly put his glass in her hand. He turned back to the bar and poured another glass. "If this is NVP, Phyllis, it can wait till Monday."

"No, Jack." Phyllis stared down into the dark red liquid. How was she going to tell him this?

"Then what?" Jack took a swig of wine, enjoying the taste as it went down his throat. Oh, it felt good.

Phyllis closed her eyes. That didn't help. It took her someplace else. To someone else. "Remember when we…"

"I remember everything about us," Jack shot out quickly, the amusement suddenly gone from his eyes, "I'm surprised you do considering."

Phyllis jolted. She wasn't ready for a fight. "You know I loved you."

"Loved." Jack smiled bitterly. This was not going well. He couldn't control this at all. "Just missing the elusive present tense. Where is it, I wonder? Or he, I should say?"

Phyllis stood up and met his eyes. "I'm not going to lie to you anymore."

Jack's throat tightened. He had to do this. He couldn't go soft with her. "Why? You do it so beautifully."

"I'm pregnant, Jack."

Yet it was more real now than when he first found out. "His?" He nearly choked out.

"Yours."

"Well… He wouldn't give it up, would he? So you had to come crawling back to me, right? You think we're going to make a home, sweetheart, share custody because we once loved each other? Past tense, Red."

Phyllis stepped back, feeling physically ill as he mocked her, their life, the life she had wanted. "Jack, I know you're angry, and you can hate me, you can hate me until we're old and we can't speak anymore, but you will not, you will not take your anger and jealousy out on our child!"

"I don't want your bastard child," Jack mumbled under his breath before he could stop himself.

"What?" Phyllis spun him around, only half-hearing what he said. "What did you say? What the hell did you say, Jack!"

Jack backed up, needing to get away from her, from this situation. He still cared too much. "Nothing. I can't… I can't talk about this right now. I'll call you later."

Phyllis watched him escape towards the stairs. "Jack. I thought you remembered everything about us."

Jack stopped and turned back towards his lost love. "I do."

"Then why can't you see what a miracle this is?"

- - - - - - - - -

"Daniel." Phyllis burst into her apartment to find him waiting there on the couch.

Daniel took in her disheveled appearance. Just like Nick's. Before he could say anything, he saw her eyes. "Have you been crying?"

She smiled bravely. "Just a little. It's nothing that can't be fixed."

"What's wrong, mom? I was just over at the Newman's, and well, it was weird over there. A when Nick asked about you, I knew something was up."

"He asked about me?" Her voice belied everything.

"Mom."

"I'm sorry. I'm an earthbound weakling, what can I say?"

"What did you do?" Daniel didn't flinch but looked straight at her and waited.

Phyllis fidgeted. "Do? Well, when you put it like that—"

"Mom! Come on, out with it."

Quickly, Phyllis dropped to her knees and sat directly in front of him. She took both of his hands in hers. "You have to promise not to hate me."

"Oh God."

She squeezed his hands. "Promise."

Daniel closed his eyes. "Mom…"

"Daniel…" Phyllis put her head against their joined hands.

Daniel huffed. Was this his job now? To pick his mom up when she crashed and burned? "Fine! But I reserve the right to—"

Phyllis popped up before he could finish his sentence. "And you can't yell or scream either."

"Mom."

"I just got an earful from Jack. Please Daniel."

Daniel studied her face, seeing something different, something close to desperation in her eyes. "Alright. Just tell me."

"I'm going to have a baby."

- - - - - - - - -

The bathwater rang through the upstairs plumbing. Nick could hear Sharon's footsteps on the stairs, but he sat on the couch, his clothes still damp, creating a puddle on the carpet.

It should be easy to move forward, to forget what they had shared. He should take off his clothes. Change. Get dry. But he couldn't move. He couldn't stop thinking about Phyllis.

There had been no commitment, nothing permanent. That's not how they worked. Despite that, he had claimed her without asking. Her laugh—no, it was a giggle—that would fill a room effortlessly, the way she would hide in her hands and then reveal herself so shyly to him, only to him, the way she loved so selflessly, and he never thought he would say that about her—but she loved in a way that humbled him.

How could he live without that? Her? He had to go to her. Tonight.

Suddenly, he jumped up from the couch, his course now set. The water stopped running upstairs. His foot slid on the puddle as he lunged forward.

Then he saw it. A small blue box.

It had been opened.

Sharon's hand touched his shoulder. He lifted the box and turned around, meeting two anxious, blue eyes. "What's this?"

"I've been meaning to tell you all night," she whispered.


	4. Chapter 4

_Part 4_

"A baby? That's…" Daniel studied his mother's red-rimmed eyes. Haunted, just like Nick's. "Oh…"

Phyllis tightened her hold on his hands quickly, seeing his immediate connection. "It's not what you think, Daniel."

Daniel jumped up from the couch, dropping her hands like heavy bricks. "It's not what I think! Are you kidding, mom? I saw him tonight! He's completely messed up, and Sharon, oh man… No wonder she was looking at me like that—"

"Look at me, please!" She stood up, circling him, but everything was spiraling, and he wasn't seeing her. "Daniel, no, it's not—"

Daniel pushed back, looking down at the floor, embarrassment and shame etched in his young features. "Mom, I'm sorry, this is a little too much right now. I gotta go—"

"But Daniel, we have to talk—" But before she could reach him, the door slammed in her face.

- - - - - - - -

"Is this for real?" Nick held up the box, unable to ignore the throbbing between his ears as Sharon's voice echoed throughout the room.

"I took the test this morning… and Dr. Bernard confirmed it this afternoon."

"We're going to have a baby?" He questioned flatly as he stared at the picture of the happy mother and baby on the front of the EPT kit.

Sharon exhaled, relief filling her fast. This was much easier than she had anticipated. "…yes… I know you weren't thrilled about the idea before…"

"This is…" Nick dropped the box on the couch and finally looked at her. He couldn't read her expression at all. It had been so different with Phyllis…so intimate. Now he was looking at the woman he had been married to for ten years, and he felt like he was talking to a stranger.

"You're not angry, are you?"

"No… I just thought… we'd be in this together." The words sunk through him like lead. "I feel a little, I don't know, left behind, I suppose."

Sharon smiled weakly, her relief now fueled by defensiveness. "When you make love, Nick…"

"I know…" Nick closed his eyes. What was he doing? Why couldn't he make anyone happy? "I didn't expect this. So soon. I'm sorry. I'm trying."

Sharon nodded, pursing her lips together tightly. "I get it. You've lost a lot today."

He stared right at her and didn't move until she froze in his eyes. "Do we have to talk about Phyllis?"

Then her cool exterior burst. "Why not? You're obviously still thinking about her!"

Nick closed his eyes and held back from yelling at her. It wasn't her fault. But could any of them handle the truth? "I'm sorry that I can't say everything that you want me to say or feel everything you want me to feel. I'm sorry."

Sharon stepped closer to him. Had she done this to him? Or had they done this to each other? "What do you feel?"

He watched her eyes search his, and he knew she didn't find the answer. "No matter what I say right now, it's just going to hurt us both. And you just told me this amazing thing, and I'm standing here like a jerk, and I'm sorry. That's what I feel."

She smiled sadly and nodded. "Well maybe Phyllis can make you feel better."

"Sharon."

She shook her head and ran towards the stairs. "Please go. This house is starting to smell like mildew."

- - - - - - - - -

Phyllis sat on the couch, staring ahead at the blank television. This day was unending. The fabric of her dress clung to her body, but she couldn't move. What would she do if she lost her son?

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

She plodded slowly to the door, and opened it in one fatal swoop.

He was here. Just as she had left him. But tired. Run down. Someone had broken his heart.

She leaned against the doorframe and met his eyes. She knew she shouldn't. Looking in his eyes was even more dangerous than his touch. "You haven't changed," she whispered.

"Neither have you." Nick's eyes didn't leave hers.

She swallowed nervously. "I thought I told you to go home."

He stepped closer. "I thought you'd be with Jack."

She bit her lip and shook her head. "He's not who I…"

"I know." And he reached for her hand…


	5. Chapter 5

_Part 5_

"Hi, it's me."

"Sharon?" Brad quickly took the phone into the living room away from the stairs.

"Yeah, are you busy?" She asked quietly, as she tried to steady her voice, failing miserably.

Frowning as he noticed the catch in her voice, Brad whispered, "Victoria just took Abby upstairs. I was about to join them, but—"

"No, no… Go back to your family, Brad. I shouldn't have called," Sharon spoke rapidly and hung up the phone, unable to control her tears any longer.

"Who was on the phone?" Victoria asked from the doorway.

"Colleen," Brad answered automatically, "She didn't want to disturb us, but from the sound of it, she seemed pretty upset."

Victoria tilted her head sympathetically. "You want to go check on her, don't you?"

Brad sighed and lowered his eyes, unable to deny the rapid beating of his heart. "You know me so well." 

Victoria smiled understandingly. "Well, go ahead. I'll tuck Abby in for you."

Brad rose from the couch and sauntered towards her, wrapping his arms around her luxuriously. "Are you sure?"

"Positive. Family comes first. For both of us." And she kissed him, carefree.

- - - - - - - - - - -

"Don't do that, Nick." Phyllis quickly claimed her own hand as he made contact.

Nick watched her pace nervously around the apartment. He wasn't sure what to do. He just knew that he wasn't leaving. He stepped inside the room and gently shut the door. She looked up from her frenzy and stared at him. "I'm done walking away from you," he said evenly.

A broad, almost amused smile filled her face before she laughed disbelievingly. "Yeah? And what are you really going to do? Abandon your wife and son for your mistress who's pregnant with another man's baby? It doesn't work like that, Nick! It never works like that!" 

"Sharon told me she was pregnant tonight," Nick's deep, heavy voice carried magnitudes over her protests.

"What?" Phyllis froze and sank against the side of the sofa. Her head dropped against her chest, as she shielded her eyes from him. Silence surrounded them for a moment, and slowly, he walked towards her.

He wanted to reach out, but she was too still, too quiet. It was the first time he thought she might break. "I couldn't even pretend. I kept thinking of you."

But when she lifted her face, her eyes were blazing red fire, not even the tears in them could extinguish. "Get out. Get the hell out of my house, Nicholas! This is insane! This… this isn't our life to lead, don't your understand? This was a train wreck, an accident at best. More means—" 

"More." He took her face in his hands.

She grabbed his wrists, but neither one of them tried to move. "I'm not doing this with you."

His head dropped to her forehead. "If you don't love me, I'll leave."

Her fingers knotted around shirt collar. "I hate you. What's that option?" 

Nick winced slightly at her words but didn't back away. He knew that's what she wanted. "Let's figure it out. Are you game?"

She looked in his eyes too long, long enough to know that her answer wasn't no or yes, but that she couldn't fight what they had any longer. Her head dropped beneath his chin, and she whispered defeatedly, "I'm tired of games."

"Let me take care of you."

Phyllis grinned lopsidedly at his noble, misguided gesture. "We don't do romance."

He lifted her face and forced her to look directly in his eyes. "Let. Me. Take. Care. Of. You." And there it was. Security. Love. Home. All too close.

"Fine." She smiled slowly and pushed back on his chest. "Take off your clothes."


	6. Chapter 6

_Part 6_

Nick watched her silently from the corner of the laundry room. He didn't even know she had a laundry room. She didn't acknowledge him, or even seem to care that he was standing there bare to her. And it was driving him crazy.

Phyllis didn't know whether to laugh or take him right then and there. She never dreamed he would actually do it. Well, that wasn't true. They had never had any trouble ridding themselves of clothes before, but this time, she honestly didn't believe he was serious. They had been serious, but it was never enough.

"I thought I was supposed to be taking care of you."

She eyed him quickly from underneath her lashes. "Not while you look like a sewer rat, you're not."

Deftly, he stepped closer to her and whispered in her ear, "That's sweet."

She turned her head over her shoulder and found his waiting eyes. "I have a clean towel… or would you rather have a loin cloth, sir?"

He raised his eyebrows. "And here I thought you were going all domestic on me."

"Don't knock it until you've tried it." She pushed the terry cloth against his chest and him away from her. She had no idea where to go from here. This was supposed to have ended months ago, yet now it seemed to have a life of its own.

His eyes met hers with months of unspoken pain. "I've been trying it for most of my adult life."

She took a deep breath and stepped forward tentatively. "But you've never done laundry with me."

-----

"Ok! Ok! I'm here!" Lily burst through the front doors of Crimson Lights, completely out of breath. "So where's the fire, Daniel?"

"Just…" Daniel sunk lower in his coffee. "…just sit down, Lily."

Lily dropped her purse with a thud and hit the seat across from him. Quickly she reached for his hands gripping the cup of coffee. "Uh oh. I know that look. Are you in trouble? Did you get arrested? Don't tell me we gotta go on the run again—"

Daniel shook his head and looked up. "It's my mom."

Lily's head fell back and she dropped his hands. "I should have known! Perfect. What has Phyllis done now?"

Daniel looked around the room, as if the crowd of customers were all looking at him; and he finally whispered, "She's going to have a baby."

"Well…" Lily tried to speak but was at a complete loss for words. Suddenly she laughed awkwardly. "We certainly know what she didn't do."

Daniel looked at her, painfully silent. Lily squelched her laughter and sat on her hands uncomfortably. "I'm sorry… It's just… A baby? I thought you were it."

"I know. It's whacked." He nodded slowly and began to spin his coffee cup in a circle, over and over and over again. "She and Jack tried for so long, and now she's having a baby with Nick… Oh my God."

Lily gently put her hands over his agitated ones. "What, baby?"

His eyes widened in horror. "Noah. What's this gonna do to him?"

"Do what to whom?" Daniel and Lily jumped at the booming voice behind them.

"Jack!"

Jack tilted his head and put a firm hand on Daniel's shoulder. "Daniel… You seem a little on edge. You alright?"

Daniel smiled uncomfortably. "Just fine, Jack."

"Uh huh." Jack narrowed his eyes speculatively. "Have you spoken to your mother tonight?"

"Why?" Daniel asked quickly.

"No reason. I was just wondering if you knew where she was," Jack responded smoothly.

"So things are really patched up between you two?" Daniel wondered.

"Right as rain, son, right as rain." Jack's jaw locked in a confident grin.

Before she could stop herself, Lily kicked Daniel under the table. "Ow!"

"You ok there, sport?" Jack's hand tightened on his shoulder.

"Uh huh…" Daniel glared at an innocent faced Lily before turning to Jack. "Well, maybe you should wait for her to call you."

Jack's laugh broke out across the coffee house, silencing the room. "Oh Daniel. Daniel, Daniel, Daniel. With your mom, things are always better left unplanned. See you kids later."

Lily eagerly leaned across the table. "What was that about?"

"What was that kick about?" He retorted.

Lily's eyes filled unapologetically with drama. "Sorry baby. But you know them. Jack's gonna go nuts when he finds out Nick knocked up your mom. Maybe you should warn her."

"Why? Did I get any warning? I'm sorry, Lily. But my mom's on her own with this one."

-------

"What are you doing here?"

"You sounded…" Brad stopped and looked at the sight before him. A beautiful woman absolutely destroyed. "Oh God, Sharon, come here. What happened?"

"Nick left, and I don't think he's coming back even though—" She felt his arms surround her, and it was the first time she felt like she could stop pretending. She was falling apart, and she couldn't keep it together any longer.

Brad held her as her frame shook against his body. Everything he had told her seemed futile right now. She wasn't like him. She couldn't lead a double life like he could. So he held her, and pulled her closer, almost forgetting that he had any other lives for a little while. "It's ok, you can tell me anything."

She leaned her head against his chest and whimpered like a little girl, "I'm going to have a baby."

Brad pulled back from her and took her face in his hands. "A baby? Sharon! Sharon, that's—! Sharon?" But Sharon's will to stand had left her, and she fell to knees on the floor. Brad quickly followed her and cradled her in his arms as mournful sobs escaped her body. "Sweetheart, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry."

"No…no, it's alright." She smiled sadly, her mind clouding as she stared into his dark eyes. "You're just the first person who's been happy for me, that's all."

He smoothed her hair away from her face. "I'll always be happy for you."

And as they sat there on the floor, the truth circled them, and she filled the silence with the question that stood between them, "You do love Victoria?"

His automatic answer didn't come so easily this time as he was lost in the confusion of her eyes. "Of course I do. Sharon? What is it?"

And she wanted to tell him, but she didn't have the right answer. "It's nothing. Nothing at all. Thank you. Thank you for being such a good friend."

------------

"So this is what it's going to be like?" Nick asked as he watched her feet dangle off of the dryer, matching him in a starch white towel.

"Having second thoughts?" She looked down, feeling her little lump, protruding ever so slightly, no longer hidden, becoming a real part of her. She looked up, at him, and her chest tightened. Was there room for him on the dryer?

He shook his head and stepped in between her fidgety legs. He took her protective hands in his and covered them securely. "I'm waiting for you to say yes."

Slowly, she released the white towel, revealing her body to him. She clasped his hands and put them across her little belly, waiting until he felt the life inside of her. Waiting until he woke up. Waiting until he left her again. She whispered sadly, "This is so unrealistic."

Just like hers, his towel dropped and he pulled himself as close to her as possible. He took her hands and pressed them against his heart. "I don't want realism."

And he lifted her off the dryer and into the air…


End file.
